Feline puns aside, the choice of cat – Cat 5, Cat 5E or Cat 6 – is of critical importance to many businesses’ effectiveness, both now and in the future. Data transfer networks are getting faster all the time. In the 1980s, network capacity was around 100 kbits/s. The early 90s heralded 1 Mbit/s, then came 100 and 200 Mbits/s Fast Ethernet, and now there is Gigabit Ethernet at 1000 Mbits/s.
This exponential growth can make an ill conceived installation obselete within a year, as speeds and bandwidth get ever greater. So, when designing and installing a data network you should always work to the latest product standards. Sound advice, you would think. But the data transfer market is changing so fast that those producing standards for its products are having a hard time keeping up.
Currently the highest specification of data cabling network that has been TIA/EIA approved is Cat 5E, an enhanced version of Cat 5 cable. However, the data infrastucture manufacturers are already producing products of a higher specification that they claim will meet Cat 6 standards, even though the standards have not yet been finalised.
Views differ greatly among installers. Alan Jennings, project engineer with Bailey Telecom, says: “The way this industry works, today’s breakthrough is tomorrow’s history. You should go with the latest products available. However, all of the products that we install are to Cat 5E standards. We do not install products claiming to be Cat 6.”
Eric Thickett, md of MiTech, structured cabling installer partner with the Siemon Company, has different ideas: “We install Cat 5E but we will also install a lot of Cat 6. I feel that it is safe to go to Cat 6 because the electrical specification that is part of the draft standard has not been changed for over a year now, so it isn’t likely to be.”
He goes on: “I think that the standard will get softer towards ratification, as companies whose products can’t quite make the grade force the standard down.”
This is jumping the gun or leading the market, depending on how you look at it. The driving factor, however, is definitely future-proofing – how long before the system is outdated and superceded by something faster. But what are the advantages of Cat 6 over Cat 5 and 5E? Cat 6/Class E cabling delivers 700% better power sum ACR performance at 100 MHz than Cat 5E. You also gain 2·5 times the cable bandwidth – from 100 to 250 MHz. Big corporations, banks and financial houses all need these latest advances in IT technology. Data transfer speeds make the difference between being first in, making huge profits, and playing catch up.
Come down the corporate ladder just a short way and you have medium sized companies, large retail outlets etc. Here the requirement for the fastest system is not as acute. Cat 5 networks will do the job and they are unlikely to become obselete for a number of years yet.
The cost is also something to think about. A Cat 6 network will cost around 15-20% more to install than a Cat 5E network. This sounds like a lot but is it in the long run? Future-proofing comes to the fore. How long will it be before an organisation is forced to swap to a Cat 6 network to keep up with its competitors? This is where the banks and financial houses see the wisdom in installing the latest, quickest system now. It gives them an initial advantage and breathing space before they have to upgrade again.
For less critical applications, clients can, if costs are tight, upgrade gradually. Products should be checked for backwards compability – will a Cat 6 connector work on a Cat 5 cable? If so, the two category products can be used together. Cat 6 consumables such as patch leads can be purchased and used with Cat 5 cables. The network will only run to the maximum speeds of the lowest grade product though.
Other things to check with the supplier before taking the plunge with Cat 6 include the test data: always ask for test results based on a worst case scenario, ie a 100 m, four connector channel model. Demand options as well as performance: does the manufacturer offer a complete line of Cat 6 products, including work area outlets, patch panels, patch cords and connecting blocks, and the warranty is all important. Since they are selling a product prior to standards body acceptance, they should assume the risk.
Despite these concerns, Thickett says: “Cat 6 is the norm now, with many installations already being up to this standard. Other manufacturers and installers are not promoting it because they haven’t got the products yet. But, by the end of 2000 most of the marketplace will be Cat 6.”
Bailey Telecom’s Jennings says: “Cat 5 will never be obselete. It will always be useful for smaller businesses. Large companies always want the best fastest Cat 5, Cat 6 and even Cat 7 systems as soon as they come out.”
Yes, you read it right, Cat 7. It is already being used in Germany and the extra system security it offers is said to have provoked interest from the MOD and some financial organisations. Blink and you’re out of date.
Source
Electrical and Mechanical Contractor
